Britney In Desert, Dr. Phil Show A No-Go
Britney Spears was reportedly spotted sipping a drink in Palm Desert, Calif. a day after she was released from a Los Angeles hospital.
According to Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review Journal, Spears was seen enjoying a mimosa during a breakfast at the Daily Grill restaurant Saturday morning with paparazzi pal Adnan Ghalib. A restaurant manager later confirmed to Clarke that it was Spears.
Spears, 26, has been seen with Ghalib, 35, before in recent weeks. He told Us Magazine in December that the two are "just friends."
The troubled young entertainer was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by paramedics Thursday night after police were called to her home because of a custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two young sons.
As first reported on "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," Spears was released from the hospital Saturday. The news came via a press release from talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw to the entertainment shows, saying that he met with her as she was preparing to leave. He said he's convinced she's "in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention."
Photos: Standoff At Britney's
Dr. Phil drew criticism after saying he'd be speaking about Spears on his talk show. He announced Monday afternoon on his Web site that although the show was not "going to focus on the tabloid side" of Spears latest troubles, he had decided to not go forward with taping the show out of "consideration for the family."
In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" aired on The Early Show, Dr. Phil said that he was called in to see Spears at the family's request.
"I went to see Britney at the request of her family," he told "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Kevin Frazier. "I talked to (her mother) Lynn, I talked to (her father) Jamie, I talked to Brian, her brother and they were very frustrated that she apparently wasn't going to be held for a longer period of time and they said, will you come talk to her?,' which I said I would."
Photos: Pop Diva Britney
Timeline: Britney's Meltdown
"I was first contacted by her family over a year ago and maintained a running dialogue with them throughout the last year," he said.
Managing editor Harvey Levin of celebrity Web site TMZ.com said "Britney didn't ask for it, Britney didn't know about it" and he said Spears walked out when Dr. Phil walked in.
TMZ.com said it spoke with eight psychiatrists who don't think Dr. Phil should've been allowed in to see Spears when he doesn't have inpatient privileges.